This year IsraCast has covered 30 different science
and technology stories from Israel. In this article we will
summarize the most interesting Israeli projects in 2005 from
the fields of medicine, environmental technology, defense and
security, astrophysics and general technology.

Green Technology

The car that
makes its own fuel – An Israeli
company, Engineuity, is working on a method for producing a
continuous flow of hydrogen and steam under full pressure inside
a car. According to the company, this method will solve the
obstacles associated with the manufacturing, transporting and
storing of hydrogen to be used in cars. The hydrogen car Engineuity
is working on will use metals such as magnesium or aluminum
which will come in the form of a long coil. The gas tank in
conventional vehicles will be replaced by a device called a
Metal-Steam combustor that will separate hydrogen from heated
water.Read
More

Zinc powder will drive your hydrogen
car – Another development regarding
clean hydrogen fuel for cars has been developed at the Weitzman
Institute in cooperation with scientists from Sweden, Switzerland
and France. The researchers were successful in creating large
quantities of pure zinc using solar power which could be safely
transported to a gas station and then used to quickly produce
hydrogen to be used in hydrogen based cars. Read
More

Out of the box thinking
produces safer water - An Israeli company, Atlantium,
has developed a new technology for water disinfection. It uses
ultra violet (UV) light to disinfect water and is 10,000 times
more effective than existing techniques. With impending regulatory
changes in the U.S. and other countries, the move from chemical
disinfectants to green non-toxic advanced disinfection solutions
can improve the safety of the water while reducing its cost.
The new system is also strong enough to kill the kind of biological
agents bio-terrorists might use inside water reservoirs. Read
More

Israeli company drives
the largest solar plant in the world – The Israeli company
Solel has helped build and maintain the largest commercial solar
power plant in the world, supplying electricity to hundreds
of thousands of households in California. The company is also
participating in an international contract to build a large
commercial solar power plant in the Israeli desert. Read
More

Medicine

Simple blood test
will accurately diagnose anxiety - A new technique that
can accurately diagnose anxiety disorders by performing a simple
blood test was developed at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
The researchers hope that the anxiety blood test will soon make
its way into hospitals and ER rooms and give doctors and psychiatrists
a quick and precise tool for examining, and eventually treating,
these disorders.Read
More

Israeli super bandage
saves lives - An Israeli medical doctor has developed
a revolutionary bandage that can replace both ordinary bandages
and tourniquets and can even be used to treat burns. The new
bandage has already proved itself by saving lives of soldiers
and civilians in Israel and South Africa in recent years. The
Israeli military and the Red Cross are considering the bandage,
and its inventor hopes that when it enters mass production its
low price and superior performance will allow it to save lives
across the world. Read
More

Cell phone radiation
may cause visual damage - A recent scientific study conducted
by a team of researchers from the Technion found a possible
link between microwave radiation similar to the type found in
cellular phones and different types of damage to the visual
system. At least one type of damage seems to accumulate over
time and does not heal, challenging the common view and leading
the researchers to the assertion that the duration of exposure
is not less important than the intensity of the irradiation.
The Technion researchers also emphasized that existing exposure
guidelines for microwave radiation may need to change. Read
More

Fighting bacteria
without antibiotics – Research conducted at the Hebrew
University has revealed a method for controlling bacterial activity
without antibiotics. The research showed how it is possible
to interfere with the communication of groups of bacteria thus
enabling new ways of fighting bacterial infections and disease
caused by germs as well as ways to help beneficial bacteria
to multiply. Read
More

Astrophysics

Dark matter
– one mystery solved - Until recently cosmologists could not
explain why elliptical galaxies did not appear to have dark
matter haloes surrounding them, which are known to exist in
other types of galaxies. Analyzing data from a simulation performed
on one of the most advanced supercomputers in the world, an
Israeli cosmologist showed that the existing model of elliptical
galaxies was wrong, proving that dark matter was there all along.
Read
More

General Technology

Like a fish
- An Israeli inventor has developed a breathing apparatus that
will allow breathing underwater without the assistance of compressed
air tanks. This new invention will use the relatively small
amounts of air that already exist in water to supply oxygen
to both scuba divers and submarines. The invention has already
captured the interest of most major diving manufacturers as
well as the Israeli Navy. Read
More

Surveying the future
- A new low-cost system that can immediately create a 3D model
of a room has been developed by an Israeli company. The system
facilitates the performing of highly accurate computerized measurements
inside buildings. It allows a single operator to measure a room
and create a CAD model in real time which can then be used to
plan the further development of the interior structure. Relying
on ultra sound and RF transmission between its base station
and a portable unit, the new system eliminates limitations such
as line of sight and the need for "open skies" that
exist in current surveying equipment, while still keeping the
price of the overall system well below that of existing equipment.
Read
More

Defense & Security

Two new autonomous
vehicles - Having developed some of the most advanced
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in the world, the Israeli defense industry
has turned to the ground. Two companies are currently developing
highly mobile unmanned vehicles that can perform armed patrols
around the barrier being built between Israel and the territories.
Replacing human patrol guards, these vehicles will cut security
costs and save lives. Read
More

Israeli technology
protecting America's strategic locations – New technology
developed in Israel is revolutionizing the field of smart video
motion detection by using advanced algorithms to automatically
detect and track intruders from hundreds of meters away, day
and night, in all weather conditions. The new system, which
recently passed rigorous testing by Israeli security forces,
is already being installed in various strategic locations in
Israel and the U.S. Read
More

Pen-like device sniffs
out explosives - Researchers from the Technion have developed
a unique device that can identify improvised explosives, the
kind commonly used by terrorist organizations. The pen-like
device detects the presence of explosives material using chemical
reaction and can be used by law enforcement and airport security
to test suspected objects. Read
More

Artificial flock will
hunt for terrorists - A young scientist from the Technion
has developed a system that will allow Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
to attack terrorist targets in group formation. The new method
which is based on the natural movement of flocks of animals
will be able to distinguish between civilians and enemy targets
even in highly populated areas and perform its mission with
more accuracy and flexibility than any single UAV. Read
More

Nano-technology

Nano-armor
– protecting the soldiers of tomorrow - An Israeli company has
recently tested one of the most shock-resistant materials known
to man. Five times stronger than steel and at least twice as
strong as any impact-resistant material currently in use as
protective gear, the new nano-based material is on its way to
becoming the armor of the future.
Read More

DNA based transistors
- A group of Israeli scientists from the Weizmann Institute
has developed a unique approach to creating nano-transistors
based on DNA. This method may eventually lead the way to the
development of new ultra-small transistors as well as tiny chemical
and biological sensors.
Read More